HIBRARY OF CONGRESS. I 

||i«tp |opa"9i^t |o f 

I -^^ '^'i^-- I 

# — — $■ 

I UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Ji 

6 '^^%.^<^^fe><^'%><i>'%''^'^^^>^.^^<%.'%>^'^'ni 



THE ART 



OP 



HOUSE-PAINTING 

BEING 

A CLEAR AND COMPREHENSIVE RECORD OF THE 

OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIENCES, DURING 

MANY YEARS, OF A 

PRACTICAL WORKER IN THE ART, 

AND DESIGNED TO INSTRUCT AND ASSIST IN THE 
EVERY-DAY WORK OF PAINTERS AND OTHERS. 



BY 



1 



^/ 






New York: 
JOHN WILEY & SONS, 

15 ASTOR PLACE. 
1877. 




^' 



^f^ 



p^ 



Copyright, 1877. 
JOHN WILEY & SONS. 



S. W. GREEN, 

Printer and Electrotypkr, 

16 and 18 Jacob Street, 

NEW YORK. 



\ 



A 

< 






PEEFAOE 



Not only tlie practical man will find the con- 
tents of this book yaluable in its sensible state- 
ments of the way of working, but all who build 
houses, as well as those who live in them, will 
find many hints Avhich they can use to their 
advantage. 

To the business man a system is essential, to 
enable him to perform his work in a thorough 
manner, and the author has accordingly empha- 
sized its importance. Having proved this in 
conducting his own work, he has here endeavor- 
ed to show others hoio to do it, 

D. W. 0. S. 



YoNKERs, Westchester Co., N. Y. 
October 27, 1877. 



CONTENTS. 



Priming Outside. 

PAGE 

Blisters 52 

Blocking and veining 28 

Boiled oil 44 

Brick- work ^4 

Brushes and preservation of 3 

Carts, wagons, etc 43 

Cheap oils 45 

Cleet-spots, ladders 37, 38 

Coloring materials 7 

Commencing repaint 33 

Compositions 46 

Consistency of paint 4 

Consistency of paint, direction, etc 18 

Crawling 23 

Disposition of colors for blinds 34 

Disposition of colors 34 

Dust on houses 32 

Economy of application 5 

Fatty paint 39 

Finishing outside 15 

Flashing 21 

Glazing, repairing 49 

Green paints 22 

Guarding against damage by rain, etc 19 



VI CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Lining 27 

Materials 1 

Of "laps," etc., and brushing 6, 7 

One-coat painting 30 

Out-houses, saying time 36, 37 

Preparation 1 

Preventing rust 30 

Puttying joints, tacking, oil adulterates 31 

Putty and puttying, cleaning, etc 16 

Quantity and application 3, 5 

Removing old paint 54 

Roof-painting 40 

Rubbing down 53 

Sanding, sanders 24 

Sash and hot-house 47, 48 

Shingle roofs 43 

Smoky or greasy paint 54 

Squaring. . .- 20 

Strainers 18 

System of painting, etc 9 

System of painting blinds and fences 10, 11 

Time for drying 15 

Tin and iron work 30 

Zinc driers 44 

Priming Inside Wood-work. 

Cleaning * 58 

Danger from dampness 57 

Drop-cloths 59 

Drying-rooms 56 

Egg-shell gloss 65 

Enamel 67 

Finishing inside work 61 



CONTENTS. Vll 



PAGE 

Flatting 61 

Ground colors for graining 69 

Old wood- work » 59 

Preparing 61 

Priming 56 

Priming for graining 57 

Shellacing and shellac 55, 60 

Suitable brushes 58 

System 9, 59 

Tinting 66 

Wet wood 56 

White-lead puttying 58 

White shellac , 60 



THE 

AET OF HOUSE -PAINTING. 



OUTSIDE PAINTING. 

PEIMIJSTG IN^EW WOOD-WORK. 

Prep ABA Tio]^. — First, let the wood get 
perfectly dry from rains, storms, or damp- 
ness, then cover all the knots and pitchy 
places with a varnish made of gum- shel- 
lac dissolved in alcohol to about the thick- 
ness of molasses. Apply the varnish with 
a small brush. It dries very quick, and 
the paint may then be put on. 

Materials.— The paint should be the 
best white lead mixed in pure raw linseed- 
oil. Turpentine may be used in winter to 
make the paint work easy, as the oil is 
apt to chill and the paint become thick 
and work tough under the brush ; but in 
summer it should not be used in priming 



2 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

but in places where the sun does not reach. 
In winter, it will be necessary to put in 
litharge, or some other drier ; but in sum- 
mer, drier is not much needed for priming, 
for good oil will dry of itself in a day or 
two, and if the wood is seasoned, and as 
dry as it should be, there is not much dan- 
ger of showers or storms washing off the 
paint, as it will mostly be absorbed in the 
surface. 

MixiN^G. — The lead or zinc paint thus 
mixed may be colored by the addition of 
ochre, Spanish brown, etc., directions for 
which will be given under its proper head. 
Priming outside should always be made 
as light-colored as possible. If the house 
or building is to be finished white, of 
course the priming should be white ; but 
if it is to be finished a brown, the priming 
should be a light brown. The same in re- 
gard to any other color intended to be the 
finish, because, if this rule is adhered to, 
the first colors will not show through so 
soon by wear, or in joints which may 
partially open by the weather ; besides, a 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 3 

less quantity of paint is required to finish 
and cover ; and it is Avell to have it under- 
stood at the beginning, that too much paint 
can be put on outside wood- work — that is, 
it can be put on too thick in any one ap- 
plication. 

Brushes. — The priming color should be 
applied with a good brush of the largest 
6 O size, bridled, if a new one, about 
one third the length of the bristles with 
good tvidne, and as the brush wears, the 
binding or bridle to be taken off. Care 
should be taken to use or wear the brush 
flat or wedge-shape with a straight tip. 
This can be done by holding it always in 
one position in the hand. If it is suffered 
to turn round, it will wear stubby and be 
unfit to do good or smooth work. As 
brushes cost a good deal of money, it is 
essential that great care should be taken 
in their use and in preserving them. 

Preseryikg Brushes. — If they are in 
every-day use, they should be put every 
night in water, standing them very care- 
fully in a tub or other vessel, and not let 



4 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

the water reach more than half way the 
length of the bristles. But if the painting 
is all done, and the brushes are yet good, 
they may be preserved for a long time by 
washing them out clean in warm water and 
soap, and laying them away in a moist 
place. Care should be taken, however, to 
have all the paint taken entirely out of 
them by flrst washing them thoroughly 
with turpentine. 

CoNSisTEXCY OF Paiis^t. — The paint 
should be thin enough for priming to 
work easy under the brush, and not run 
or drip on the surface, as it will if too 
thin. It should not be thick enough to 
cover the grain of the wood, for it would 
be apt to blister after a time, and would 
w^ork very tough and hard while being 
put on. Care should be taken that every 
potful of paint used should be of the 
same consistency, for if one part is painted 
or primed with thick paint and the other 
with thin, it will not be long before it will 
show in patches and spots, which spoil the 
looks of the building. 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 5 

Application". — Apply the paint on 
about a square yard or more, without re- 
gard to smoothing it off, or a much larger 
space, according to circumstances, or as 
far as a man can well reach from a ladder. 
Gret the paint on evenly, and then com- 
mence to smooth or lay it off, drawing the 
brush evenly and straightly across the 
surface covered. 

EcOiS"OMY OF Applicatio:^. — It is no- 
torious that many good painters lose one 
quarter of their time in laying or smooth- 
ing off small parts of their work. Instead 
of covering a large surface as convenient 
evenljT- first, as stated above, and then 
smoothing it, they actually, as a necessary 
consequence of their mode of working, 
smooth or lay off their work many times 
over, because if they paint one board, for 
instance, and smooth it off, as I have seen 
many continually do, in covering the next 
board they rough up the paint on the first, 
which has to be smoothed again. And so 1 
they do their work over and over, and 
make less headway than would one who 



6 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

understood the economy of the method of 
applying paint. I mention this because I 
have suffered losses on contract painting 
from this cause, and because it is proper 
that journeymen should be reminded of 
these things, and also that all men employ- 
ing workmen should be able to judge of 
their work. 

Laps. — Laps *are the joinings of two 
applications, or the edges of the stretch 
coming together and forming two coats 
wherever the lap is made. They should be 
avoided, because they present a very great 
disfigurement to the eye, and will remain 
a long time, even showing after the build- 
ing is several times painted. It is best to 
prime but a few boards, or a narrow space 
across the building, at a time, or, if work- 
ing on ladders and not being easy to move 
often, by care in rubbing out properly at 
the edges the lap may be avoided. In the 
joining of two stretches, much care and 
skill is required, or defects will show when 
the paint is dry which did not appear at 
the time of applying it. The brush must 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 7 

be drawn straight and even, and lifted 
gradually and finely as it reaches the ex- 
tent of the stretch, or the place of joining. 
This is, however, more particular in sec- 
ond coating, or in finishing. 

BRUSHiisra. — Priming should be rubbed 
out considerably, not flowed on loosely, as 
it will blister and run. The brush should 
work easy, at the same time a pressure be 
exerted as if to rub the paint into the 
wood. The only exception to this latter 
rule is in priming over spots which are 
very open and discolored ; then the painter 
should lay on more paint and rub it out 
less ; because such spots cannot be 
touched up after the work is second- 
coated or finished without a positive dis- 
figurement, particularly on all colors ex- 
cept white. 

CoLORiis^a Materials. — The best color- 
ing, in mixing paint for priming, or for any 
other painting, is pure, dry French ochre, 
Spanish brown, Venetian red, and lamp- 
black ; with these almost any desired color 
can be made with white lead or zinc. Um- 



8 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

ber, terra sienna, Indian red, etc., are some- 
times nsed, but they are more expensive 
than durable ; although a richer color may 
be obtained with them, yet in ordinary 
house-painting the richness is scarcely dis- 
tinguishable from work done with the first- 
named ingredients, and, besides, it is not 
by any means so durable. The colors 
should first be broken or mixed up each 
by itself, and added to the principal in- 
gredient in such proportions as will pro- 
duce the color desired. First make a trial 
with a very small quantity, in order to get 
at the color wanted, as well as to estimate 
the proportion of each color to make it. 

Pure Paints. — The colors are better 
for being ground in a paint-mill. They 
can be bought already ground, but there 
is a great deal of adulteration in the manu- 
facture of such paints, there being only a 
few in the business who can be relied upon 
to furnish them perfectly pure ; and as the 
prevailing fashion of tints in house-paint- 
ing is such as to require the principal in- 
gredient to be of such coloring, it is es- 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 9 

sential that they shonld be pure, or the 
work will not endure, but fade and dis- 
color very quickly. The advantage of the 
best and purest materials for painting is 
not only in its durability, but also in its 
economy. The highest price and the best 
article is the cheapest to the painter and 
his employer in all cases. 

Zinc Paint. — White lead, however, I 
should recommend as the foundation and 
principle of all exterior painting, having 
found, by twenty years' experience in 
country and town work, that it is the best. 

System. — In the application of paint in 
priming, as well as finishing, it is essential 
that the workman should observe a system 
in order to accomplish as much work as 
possible in a given time with the usual 
amount of labor. Some men will work 
very hard without a system, and do a 
small day' s work ; others work easily 
along, systematically, and do a much 
greater quantity of work, and do it well. 
In painting fences, railings, lattices, or 
blindSj and other similar work, a system 



10 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

is absolutely necessary. A lialf-lioui's ex- 
perience of the workman will teacli liim 
the proper mode on most of such work ; 
but on blinds and picket or baluster fence 
a few directions may not be out of place 
here. 

Bliis^ds. — Lay the blind on trestles or on 
two barrels, with the stick or inside up. 
Paint all that can be painted from this side 
by turning the slats to and fro, but not 
necessarily reaching the brush through to 
cover all the slat. Paint the edges of the 
blind, and then smooth off only the stiles 
and stick ; then turn over and cover what 
remains of the slats and stiles. See that 
the inside edges are covered by running 
the brush in between the slats, also the 
ends of the slats both before and after 
turning, as well also as the edges of the 
slats ; thus the blind will be covered. 
JSTow proceed to smooth off by reaching 
the brush carefully through to the lower 
edge of the slat and drawing it evenly from 
end to end ; first taking one side of the 
slats, then turning them down, holding 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 11 

them a little open and smoothing off the 
other side ; then smooth off the stiles, and 
the blind is done. Stand it np with the 
inside out, in order to touch up where it 
rested on the trestles. 

FejS-ces. — First paint the edges both of 
the pickets or balusters and the rails, as 
well as the edges of the ribbon-strips and 
bottom-board, from the outside for six or 
seven feet. Thus the paint which gets on 
the faces, in doing the edges, is so much 
gain, and the piece of fence so begun is 
more than half done, and the faces may 
then be covered and smoothed off by one 
stroke of the brush. The inside should 
be done last, with the posts, l^o piece of 
fence should be left unfinished over-night, 
as the runs will dry and look bad when 
completed. 

Lattices. — Take a large half - worn 
brush, fill it full of paint, and lodge it on 
the work over as much space as the brush- 
ful will cover ; then briskly rub it out 
over the same, covering the outside edges, 
and if the inside cannot be done, cover the 



12 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

inside edges by running the brush through. 
n the inside is to be done, leave the out- 
side without smoothing off until the inside 
is done the same as the outside ; then 
smooth off lirst the inside and then the 
outside. 

Advantages of System. — System is 
essential in all work, and in every part. 
There is a certain place to begin, and a 
place to finish. On doors, architraves, 
panels, cornices, etc., the mouldings, beads, 
and edges are first to be filled and covered ; 
next, the stiles and surrounding work over 
a considerable surface, say the whole side 
of a door or architrave, without laying off 
until well covered. In painting first the 
mouldings, etc., the other parts get nearly 
half covered ; and if this system is weir 
and continually carried out, as all good 
workmen do, the result is rapid and good 
work. A systematic workman will also 
complete his work as he goes along, and 
not paint a patch here and a patch there, 
as if he had no particular design. 

Drying Oil. — Sometimes it is necessary 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 13 

to prime window-frames and doors before 
they are set in the building, and in some 
cases the paint is required to be dry soon, 
that they may be handled by the carpen- 
ters or masons. In such cases, the priming 
should be mixed with boiled oil and raw, 
in equal proportions, with a little turpen- 
tine. In any other case where the prim- 
ing is required to dry quickly, the paint 
may be mixed in the same manner. 

Dry Wood. — There is no particular ad- 
vantage gained in priming directly after 
the carpenters — that is, priming as fast as 
the work is put up, unless it might be in 
very hot weather. It is best to let the 
work season or dry out free from all damp- 
ness ; and let it check and shrink if it will, 
so that some of the paint may be absorbed 
in the surface, and the checks and joints 
puttied up, so that they will not appear 
after the work has been finished, and thus 
render it necessary to putty and touch up 
again, to the injury of the work as regards 
its looks. In priming up to the carpen- 
ters, the work is liable to get full of saw- 



14 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

dust and be otherwise disfigured ; besides, 
the painter will necessarily lose much time 
in waiting and in not having a straight- 
forward job to keep him for any particular 
portion of a day. If a small house, it is 
better that the carpenter were entirely 
finished and away, as regards the outside ; 
then the priming can be done quickly and 
cleanly. On a large house, it is economy 
for all parties, as well as for the good of 
the work, for the painter to have two or 
three days' work ahead of him until the 
priming is completed. Some may say 
that wood should be primed as soon as 
put up in a building — that is, outside — to 
prevent it from shrinking and checking. 
My experience has proved abundantly to 
me, that the wood will check and shrink 
by the action of the sun's rays just as 
much in that case, and that it is far better, 
for the durability of both wood and paint, 
to let it get air and sun-dried first. Fre- 
quent wetting by rains will not much, if 
any, retard the process of seasoning. For 
the same reasons, very little, if any, work 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 15 

should be primed in the carpenter-shop. 
In our day, there is little lumber that is 
well seasoned ; and however well seasoned 
it may be, all builders know that it is still 
liable to shrink and check. The manner 
in which lumber for outside work is gener- 
ally kept is not such as to render it very 
dry for use. 

In finishing outside work, use white- 
lead and good French zinc in equal parts ; 
or for white finish, zinc alone. 

OUTSIDE PAIlS^TIlN^a. 

DryijS^g. — In summer, priming coats 
will be sufla.ciently dry for second coating 
in two or three days ; but in winter, a week 
at least is required to dry it hard enough 
to apply another coat. 

Best Time to Paiis^t. — As finishing 
coats will not dry readily in winter if 
mixed with good oil and without much 
turpentine, though with plenty of drier, I 
would advise that it be left over January, 
February, and March. In all other months, 
my experience has determined that it is 



16 THE AKT OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

safe to apply finishing coats ; but the best 
months for outside finishing and painting 
are September, October, and November. 
In our latitude, it frequently occurs that 
December is a very good month for it. 

Painting well done with proper material, 
in those months, will endure longer than if 
done in any other ; because the coats will 
have all the winter to harden without 
being subject to the heat of the sun and 
the warm showers of summer, which wear 
and injure paint more than any thing else. 
Although convinced of the above fact, yet 
the difference in durability of good paint, 
well applied in any summer month, is, as 
far as I have been able to investigate, not 
of sufficient importance to cause a delay 
in finishing work as soon as it is fully 
completed for painting. 

Nail-Holes, etc. — Previous to apply- 
ing the second coat, the nail-holes, joints, 
and checks should be well puttied with 
putty colored, if the work is to be finished 
with this coat, of any fancy color ; but if 
the third coat is to be put on, then the 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 17 

putty may be as made, only a little hard- 
ened with whiting in either case — presum- 
ing that the putty is soft as for glazing, 
in which state it should generally be kept 
for sale or use. Most painters nowadays, 
putty before priming ; this is just as well 
for ordinary work or for white work ; but 
in the best buildings, and where fancy 
colors are to be employed, it is best to 
prime first, on account of the tendency of 
such colors to absorb heat from the sun 
and open the joints and checks, if any ; 
and as well to prevent the necessity of 
puttying over twice, which is frequently 
apt to occur if puttied before priming. 

S Ais^D-PA PERiKG Ajn^d Cleai^ing. — Sand- 
papering the work before painting is req- 
uisite, particularly the rough places, in 
order to make it smooth and cleanly when 
done. The dust should be cleaned from, 
the work and swept some distance away, 
so that any little gust of wind should not 
blow it in the paint. In windy weather, 
sprinkling, when there is plenty of water 
on hand, is very serviceable. In painting; 



18 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

a nice front in a village wliere tlie roads 
are most dusty, and tlie wind is apt to 
send the dust directly into the paint from 
every wagon that passes, it would be well I 
to employ the village sprinkling-cart, as it 
soften happens that there is one in use ; or 
a little expense in wetting the road in front 
^of the premises will not be thrown away 
if no such convenience is to be found. 
Painters may say that this is a little too 
nice, '^ too particular ;" but I have always 
found my account in it, not so much for the 
^' pay " as the satisfaction of having a job 
done as Avell as possible. It is very sel- 
dom, however, that this sprinkling opera- 
tion is necessary, though workmen cannot 
be too particular in dusting and cleaning 
their work generally. 

Consistency, Straining, etc. — The 
paint for second coating or for finishing 
should be thicker than for priming, and 
^should be strained. The best strainers* 
are of tin, made somewhat like a wash- 
basin, with the bottom of manufactured 
perforated tin, which can be procured of 



THE AKT OF HOUSE-PAINTING. ID 

different grades of fineness for the pur- 
pose. 

Application", Rains, Deavs, etc.— 
More care is required in applying these 
coats than in priming ; otherwise the same 
directions may be followed generally ; 
and, to save a repetition, I refer to those 
respecting priming on pages 2, 3, 4, and 5. 
More drier is also required in finishing, 
because there is less absorption of paint 
in the wood, and more danger of injury 
by sudden showers or storms. Sometimes 
a heavy dew will injure fresh paint if not 
set ; therefore, in painting in such places 
on a building as the dew is likely to hurt, 
it is prudent to do it only in the fore-part 
of the day whenever it maybe convenient, 
according to the extent of the job, etc. ; 
for instance, always begin to paint a 
piazza-fioor, a roof, or any thing similarly 
exposed, in the morning, and commence 
at that place which gets the least sun 
upon it. This is a very important rule, 
and I have seen much damage w^hich 
could never be repaired result from its 



20 THE ART OP HOUSE-PAINTING. 

neglect, by rains and dews falling in tlie 
night upon that part which was last done 
and which had no sun upon it all day; 
whereas, if the painting had progressed 
round with the sun, it is almost certain 
that all would have been set, and thus 
free from danger of being spoiled. 

Squarit^g. — Every part or portion of a 
building must be finished, or, as the term 
is, " squared," on the same day that it is 
commenced ; for if it is left not squared 
over-night, or even for one hour, while 
taking dinner, as it may occur in warm 
weather, it will show very bad laps, which 
it is difficult if not impossible to remedy. 

Reference may be made again to pages 

6 and 7, where laps are particularly de- 
scribed, and how to avoid them. The 
same directions will apply here, though 
it is easier to avoid them in the last coats. 

Mixing. — Directions for mixing and col- 
oring paint will be found on pages 2 and 

7 ; those directions apply equally to finish- 
ing as to priming — the use of turpen- 
tine, oils, and driers also included; only 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 21 

it must be rememlbered that the paint 
must be a little thicker, as before men^ 
tioned. 

If a third coat is intended, it is absolute- 
ly necessary to mix the second coating 
with a good proportion of turpentine : in 
summer, it should be about one third ; in 
winter, one half. In repainting old work, 
sometimes more than this proportion may 
be used. 

Flasiii]N"(>. — The object of this use of tur- 
pentine in the second coat when a third is 
intended, and only in such a case, is to 
prevent what is called ''flashing," or a 
deadening of the intended gloss of the third 
coat, which totally spoils the looks of the 
work for a long time, though it does not 
materially injure the paint or render it 
less durable. The last coat should be mixed 
with raw linseed-oil alone. 

Blinds, etc. — The same directions given 
for painting blinds, fences, lattices, etc., on 
pages 10 and 11 will be observed here ; as 
well as other directions elsewhere in re- 
gard to painting on buildings. 



22 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

Of Green^s. — Green paints require to be 
ground very fine in a good mill ; tliey 
must Ibe ground in raw linseed-oil only, 
and as thick as possible, and kept in closed 
vessels. In using, tliey require more care- 
fulness of the workman than the common 
paints. On blinds and lattices, green should 
be rubbed out well so as not to run or drip, 
and ought never to be mixed with white 
lead or other paint where a good green is 
desired. To mix a bronze green, add a 
little umber ground in oil, or simple black, 
also ground. Bronze color may be varied 
by the addition of ochre, lead, or other 
colors. A rich dark bronze can be made 
by the addition of Prussian blue ground 
in oil. 

Where a very light green is wanted, and 
where it will not be exposed to the 
weather, then white lead or zinc may be 
used with it. 

Paris or French green is very difficult to 
use ; it should be mixed, for the first two 
coats, with one third turpentine and two 
thirds boiled linseed-oil, and in applying 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 23 

should be rubbed out harder than any 
other paint, as it is more liable to drip or 
run. 

Three coats of it are necessary to a good 
finish, as it is a very transparent paint, 
without body and consequently will not 
cover well ; the third coat must be all oil — 
that is, mixed with oil alone, boiled and 
raw. Priming for Paris green finish must 
be a light green. 

Crawling. — Painters sometimes expe- 
rience a difficulty called ^^ crawling," par- 
ticularly in winter months, in coating over 
a cold and glossy surface. It is a tendency 
of the paint to shrink or run away in all 
directions, leaving numerous little round 
openings through to the old coat, which, 
if left to dry in that condition, presents a 
very great disfiguration of the work. To 
avoid this, a slight rubbing with a cloth 
or the hand will sometimes do ; but gener- 
ally it is effected by hard rubbing with the* 
brush. To guard agamst it, the same pre- 
cautions to prevent flashing may be resort- 
ed to — that is, the use of plenty of turpen- 



24 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

tine in the previous coat ; wliicli is another 
case where it may be freely employed in 
mixing paint. In fact, turpentine in con- 
siderable quantities may be used in many 
parts of outside work, such as ceilings, 
under portions of cornices, and such like 
places, but should not be put in paint 
designed for parts that are exposed to the 
sun or weather. 

Brick- WORK. — In the painting of brick- 
work, the same general rules and direc- 
tions are to be observed. Bricks, however, 
absorb more paint in the first and second 
coats than wood, and, in finishing, more 
care is required to prevent laps and runs. 
The practice of oiling brick buildings with 
linseed-oil by means of a sponge or a 
brush, is good if plenty of oil is absorbed 
in the surface, as it has a tendency to shed 
the rain and dews ; but painting is prefer- 
able for the same end, even if few coats 
are applied, as it fills the pores of the 
brick. 

Sandi]^C4^ Ais^D Sanders. — Sanding, 
which is generally done for the purpose of 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 25 

imitation of stone of various colors, is a 
matter of great utility and beauty in house- 
painting. If well done, it will last many 
years, and need not be repainted except to 
freshen the color or change it, or for the 
purpose of cleaning off the stains from dust 
which may accumulate. The sand should 
be not of the finest nor the coarsest ; well 
dried, and sifted into the third coat, if a 
new building, with a sander ; the best are 
made like a grocer' s scoop, with the bev- 
elled part of perfoTated tin, the holes about 
one sixteenth part of an inch in size, and 
should be made so as to contain, when full, 
about four pounds of sand. They are 
filled through the handle, which is stopped 
with a plug or cork while using. Consid- 
erable skill is required to perform this 
part of the work, which can be readily 
acquired by a little practice in the use 
of the sander. Machines have been used 
for sanding to a good advantage, but I 
prefer the more laborious mode of the 
sander, as I think the work will be better 
done by it, besides the machines are very 



28 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

inconvenient for mncli of tlie work gen- 
erally sanded. 

The paint into wliicli tlie sand is to be 
sifted should be mixed ^yitll nearly all oil, 
and put on as carefully as if for flnishing- 
coats, and the sand must be applied while 
it is fresh and sifted against the surface as 
long as any appearance of the oil remains. 
The workman should examine carefully for 
any greasy spots, and dash on the sand 
again before allowing the paint to dry 
or set, even. Care must be observed to 
keej) the painting stretch, or the edge, 
always beyond or out of the way of the 
dashing or falling of the sand, for if the 
brush comes in contact with the sanded 
part, the work will be unavoidably dis- 
figured or spoiled. 

Once sanding is seldom sufficient for a 
good solid look of the work; a second 
sanding in the same manner, after the first 
is thoroughly dry, is more easily accom- 
plished, though the application of the 
paint is more difficult. For the second 
sanding, the paint should be a little thinner 



THE AKT OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 27 

than for the first. These directions apply 
as well for Avood as for brick- work. 

LijS^IjS^o. —Lining in imitation of brick is 
done with white, by means of flat brushes 
made expressly for that purpose, called 
' ' trenches " or ^ ' liners. ' ' Where the joints 
are even and smooth, the lining may be 
done by an experienced workman with- 
out a straight-edge or rule ; but for rough 
work, those aids are quite necessary. Lin- 
ing in imitation of stone is done in the same 
manner with sometimes white, at others of 
various colors, according to taste, etc. The 
size of the block represented varies also 
according to the taste or general design. 
Small buildings or small portions of the 
same should be lined to represent small 
blocks, say from ten to twelve inches wide 
and from twenty-five to thirty-five inches 
in length. If the building or space be 
larger, the blocks may be increased in 
size ; but the smaller will answer for most 
work. In lining, great care is needed to 
avoid the slipping of the brush from the 
direct course, as in remedying such slips. 



28 THE AKT OF IIOUSE-PAINTING. 

the spots will unavoidably remain and 
look bad for some time. In lining on 
sanded work, the lines should first be laid 
out by chalk-line or lead-pencil and a rule ; 
then the lines should be first traced with a 
dull instrument of iron or steel, to remove 
or flatten the sand ; then the color may be 
put in the line thus made, by the liner, or 
a flat brush called a ''Fitch," and should 
be done with a careful hand to prevent 
slips, which in this case are more difiicult 
to remedy than in plain work. 

BLOCKiiN^a OR SiiADiis^a 1^ Imitatiot^ 
OF A Stoxe. — Sometimes an imitation of 
stone of various colors or shades of color 
is required. This is done by first lining 
with the lead-pencil, and then painting the 
blocks different shades. Three shades or 
colors are generally used, and they should 
be put on in regular succession and system, 
for if no system is observed in coloring, 
the job will not look well ; but with it the 
work has a very pleasing effect on the eye, 
though the system does not appear unless 
it is observed very closely by a spectator. 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 29 

It is a good plan to niimber the colors on 
the pots or kegs, and the blocks designed 
to receive each, as it prevents mistakes, 
which are likely to occur on this kind of 
work. Blocking may be left plain or 
sanded, as any other kind of work ; but if 
sanded, it will last much longer — in fact,, 
sanded work, as before stated, will last 
many years ; painters frequently say, with- 
out much exaggeration, that it lasts "^for- 
ever." Blocking is sometimes made to* 
represent veined stone, or clouded — such 
as blue granite with veins of quartz, or- 
brown stone with dark or light shades — 
and requires some artistic skill to accom- 
plish, both as regards the colors or shades 
to be used, and in applying them. The 
veining or shading should be put in the 
blocks while the paint is yet wet, particu- 
larly if the work is to be sanded ; in any 
case, they will blend in better and present 
a more natural appearance ; though in 
sanded work the shading colors should be 
more definite, more distinct, and blended 



30 THE ART OP HOUSE-PAINTING. 

in a little less than for work to be left 
without the sand. 

Ti]^ AiN^D Irois" Work. — Tin and iron 
work never require more than two coats, 
as there is no absorption ; it should not be 
put on as thick as on wood or brick, but 
should be applied as carefully and rubbed 
out more, because it is more apt to blister 
if put on thick. One coat well applied, 
and mixed a little thicker than for two, is 
very frequently sufficient for old iron or 
tin work if the old paint is not very much 
worn ; and the same may be said in regard 
to wood or brick work, under like circum- 
stances ; but it is well to understand that 
the paint must be mixed particularly to 
be used as a priming or as a finishing- 
coat ; though there may be portions of 
the work that will take a second or finish- 
ing coat after the one coat is dry, and 
which may not look as well as other 
portions. New iron- work should, first 
of all, receive a good priming of pure 
red-lead without adulteration, mixed with 
two thirds boiled linseed-oil and one third 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 31 

turpentine. This coating will effectually 
prevent the rusting of the metal, if well 
put on. I have heard that some other 
'^ mineral" paints would accomplish the 
same, but I have never been willing to 
risk the trial. 

Stopping. — Long joints in ceilings, floors 
and other places, if to be puttied, should 
lirst have some paint put into them in 
priming, and then when dry filled up 
even and tight ; if the putty should fall 
through the joint or crack, it can be 
stopped by first cutting or ragging the 
inner edge with the knife. 

Tacking. — In painting stoop and piazza 
floors, it frequently happens that, in con- 
sequence of too much oil being used in 
mixing the paint, it has a tendency to 
^'tack," or remain soft on the surface for 
a long time, allowing the feet, a chair, or 
a mat to stick to it, and if the floors are 
much used soon after painting, the work 
will be utterly spoiled. Sometimes this is 
attributable to the adulteration of linseed- 
oil, which it is difficult for painters to 



32 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTIXG. 

guard against, particularly in snmmer, 
as some merchants will mix an inferior 
oil — fish-oil sometimes, or rapeseed-oil 
-with the pure linseed, and thus spoil 
it for such work. Although I am cer- 
tain that adulterated oil will produce 
this defect more than good, yet I am in- 
clined to attribute it more to the heat of the 
atmosphere keeping the surface of the 
paint soft. As it is only in the hottest 
summer months that this difficulty oc- 
curs, I have therefore often recommend- 
ed that such floors, where much used, 
should not be finished in June, July, and 
August. 

Dust ois" Fronts. — From the same 
causes, the fronts of houses near dusty 
roads, are frequently covered with a coat 
of dust, which it is almost impossible 
to wash off*. Painters can easily detect 
the adulteration in oil, and it is to their 
interests to buy only of those merchants 
who are respectable and sustain a reputa- 
tion for superior goods, though their prices 
may be higher than others. 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 33 

Begixking to Repaint. — In commenc- 
ing to repaint a house of much size, the 
blinds should be marked or numbered, 
with a corresponding number on the side 
of the window, of sufficient plainness to 
be distinguished through the paint, and 
taken to a convenient place, where they 
may be free from dust or weather, and 
painted during rainy days, if there hap- 
pens to be no other inside work, so that 
they may be ready to hang up again 
when the house is done. If the blinds do 
not require painting, they should be re- 
moved for a time from the rest of the 
work, as they are apt to get spattered, and 
also will not be in the way of facilitating 
the other painting. Begin at the top and 
on the most difficult and dangerous part of 
the building, and work downward, and 
square at night, or on other occasions when 
leaving, as mentioned before. N"ever be- 
gin the second coat or finishing until the 
first is complete on every part of the house ; 
finish stoop-floors, however, as soon as 
opportunity occurs, and if, when the finish- 



34 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

ing-coatis completed, the blinds shall have 
been finished and thoroughly dry, they 
have only to be put in their places, and the 
painter will have no occasion to send a man 
to touch up and finish little portions which 
may have been delayed by a neglect of a 
straightforward system. Thus with two or 
three workmen, a large liouse may be thor- 
oughly repainted on the outside in a few 
days, and its occupants will scarcely realize 
that they have been troubled by painters, 
except in the improved appearance which 
it presents. 

Disposition of Colors. — In fancy col- 
ors, the trimmings, such as cornices, frames, 
stiles, columns, and other projections, 
should invariably be of the darker colors, 
and all siding, clapboards, filling, such as 
panels, recesses, and other like surfaces, 
should be of the light color. Window- 
sashes look best of a dark green, or an imi- 
tation of some dark wood, such as dark 
oak, black- walnut, or mahogany. 

Blinds should vary in color according to 
the style of the architecture. For a Gothic 



THE AET OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 35 

house, they ought to be of a shade between 
the trimming and the body, and may be 
improved by having the panels light and 
stiles dark. For those of the Italian and 
other similar styles, particularly when 
highly ornamental, or having high towers, 
the same colors must be used. Sometimes 
those styles of building, particularly if 
extensive and imposing, look best of one 
color only ; it should not be, however, a 
very dark one, and in that case the blinds 
should be of the same. In some circum- 
stances, the Gothic looks well painted a 
dark stone color ; for instance, when sur- 
rounded with large trees, or in a city or 
town. Small cottage buildings of either 
of the above-named styles, in whatever lo- 
cation or circumstances, look as well with 
green blinds ; and it is the best color for 
blinds of almost all other styles of houses. 
The green should be kept as pure and 
rich as possible ; light for white and light-' 
colored houses, and darker for houses of 
a more sombre color. A heavy dark-green 
on a white or light-colored house, I think, 



36 THE AKT OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

looks bad. At a distance, one thinks they 
are painted black, as if the house were in 
mourning. Blinds painted any other colors 
than green or the color of the house, as 
directed above, never have a pleasing effect. 
This does not apply to blinds hung upon 
the inside, which may be painted any light 
color. 

The color of out-houses, such as barns, 
coach-houses, etc., and fences, should cor 
respond generally with the colors of the 
main building. Some exceptions may be 
made, however, as in towns and villages ; 
if the house is white, the out -houses may 
be of any color. This, in most cases, may 
be left to the taste and judgment of the 
owner or the painter, being particular 
always to keep to uniformity. Dwelling- 
houses and out-houses of the ordinary 
styles sometimes look very well trimmed 
with white when the main body is of the 
lighter drabs or browns, and some of the 
more ornamental styles will look well done 
in the same way; but this fashion is, of late 
years, giving way to the more sombre tints. 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 37 

In painting a new building, or any por- 
tions of it, or any work designed to be 
finished with fancy colors, time can be 
saved by priming all with one color or 
shade. Two shades must be used in 
priming when the finish is designed to be 
of colors in which the contrast is decided — 
that is, of colors or shades which are very 
different from each other. 

Sayiistg of Time. — Much time may be 
saved in priming buildings by making use 
of scaffolding of the carpenters or masons, 
as the work can be done quicker and bet- 
ter, particularly if it is very high. Cor- 
nices, in that case, should be finished from 
the scaffold ; and in sanding, particularly, 
the advantage is great, as it can be done in 
half the time, and as not much of the sand 
gets in the paint, it can be saved more 
easily by spreading cloths for that pur- 
pose ; besides, it is very diflicult to do it 
well from ladders. 

Cleet-Spots. — Gleets, or pieces of board 
or plank, nailed to the building for the 
purpose of securing the scaffolding, should 



38 THE ART OF UOUSE-rAINTING. 

be removed before the priming gets dry, 
and the spots thus left painted carefully 
over ; for if the spots are left, by leaving 
those cleets on until the coat is dry, it is 
almost impossible to prevent them show- 
ing and presenting a great disfiguration, 
even after several coats have been applied. 
But it frequently happens that the cleets 
must be left ; in that case, by great care 
in covering, the spots may be so painted 
as not to show much. 

Ladders. — Good ladders are a very es- 
sential means in house-painting to facili- 
tate the work ; for with bad or unsafe 
ones, or those of unsuitable lengths, the 
workman cannot get along very well. 
They should be made of good, straight, 
clear spruce stiles, and oak or ash rounds, 
strengthened with, iron rods, about three 
to each of the long ones, and when not in 
use must be laid up on trestles together, 
level and straight, and should be kept 
well painted and wedged up in the rounds. 

The workman should stand his ladder 
as near the work or as straight against 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 39 

the building as possible and consistent 
witli his safety upon it, so as to be able to 
reach more work and not have to move it 
so often. Always see that the work under 
and near the top of the ladder is well 
smoothed or well laid off, even if it is nec- 
essary to move the ladder to the right or 
left to do it, for it cannot be well done with 
the ladder in the way. Much care is re- 
quu^ed in avoiding marks of the ladder ; 
in this, a skilful handling is needed. If 
the ground is uneven, blocking of boards 
or any thing suitable may be used, but 
caution is essential. . 

Ladders should never be left standing 
at the work after the workmen have left, 
unless secured by ropes or other means, 
for a sudden gust of wind may prostrate 
and shatter them, and render them unsafe 
or unfit for use. 

Fat Pai:n^ts.— Paints mixed for outside 
work, if allowed to stand for some tiine, 
become fatty, and are only fit to use on 
rough boards, in gutters, or some such 
work ; for its tendency to run and drip. 



40 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

on acconnt of the fatty nature, is such as 
to be incurable, and is sure to spoil any 
good work upon which it is applied. It 
should be used up in four weeks at least. 
Also, paint mixed for outside work should 
never be used inside ; there may be ex- 
ceptions, but it is best to follow strictly 
this rule. 

Roofs. — Roof-painting, more especially 
tin roof, has of late become a very impor- 
tant consideration. 

There are some of the so-called mineral 
and metallic paints and other roof compo- 
sitions that are very good ; but my expe- 
rience has convinced me that there is no 
better paint for tin roof than the common 
Spanish brown, Venetian red, and yellow 
ochre, mixed with pure raw linseed-oil ; 
or, what is better than linseed alone, is a 
mixture of equal portions of that and a 
good fish-oil, which does not dry hard and 
render the surface brittle as linseed-oil 
does, but is consequently less liable to 
dry up or crack with the ordinary expan- 
sion and contraction of the metal under it. 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 41 

This expansion and contraction is caused 
by heat and cold, and, if the paint is 
thick, hard, and brittle, it has a tendency 
to break the joints in the roofing even 
where thickly or strongly soldered, there- 
by causing leaks. If the roof-paint is 
very dark, or, as may frequently be seen, 
black, the effect of the heat is increased 
and felt in summer, not only on the roof 
and under it, but over the whole building. 
Therefore I would almost insist on paint- 
ing roofs a light color — say with good 
French ochre, which would look well on 
some kinds of buildings, or with zinc 
stained to represent the color of light slate 
or sheet zinc. Roofs which do not show 
might be painted white. Ice-house roofs, 
by all means, should be a very light color, 
if not white. But most of the trouble with 
tin roofs originate from the imperfect or 
unskilful manner, or both, of their join- 
ings with the brick and wood work ; around 
chimneys and in places where the brick 
or wood work extends above the roof, the 
tin has to be let in, and secured with 



42 THE AET OF HOUSE-PAINTIXG. 

wedges or nails, and is often merely plas- 
tered or pointed with a cement, which 
soon falls out, particularly if the wedging 
is not well done, and the consequence is a 
flooding of the interior of the house when- 
ever a storm arises. Buildings which have 
much top-work, such as balustrades, 
blocking courses, observatories, and such 
like embellishments, are very apt to have 
the tin roof-work perforated with nails 
in places which cannot be reached ; this, 
however, may be only on such buildings 
as are put up in a great hurry by contract 
under a ruinous competition. The best 
material for jointing on tin roofs, after the 
wedging is done, is paint-skins boiled up 
and ground or chopped fine, and mixed 
with a little sand to thicken it like ce- 
ment. 

Fish-oil is perhaps the best for all kinds 
of roofs, but the difficulty is its drying. If 
on tin, it gets the surface of the paint 
skinned over before a rain — then it is safe ; 
but there is danger of its washing over 
other parts of the house and spoiling other 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 43 

work. If a roof is safely done witli paint 
mixed with fisli-oil alone, it will last a 
^much longer time than any other paint. 
Shingle-roof, if painted at all, should be 
painted with it ; but any kind on them 
should be applied much thinner than 
paint for priming, for, if the paint is 
thick, it will hold in the joints and dry 
there^ forming places to retain the water 
longer on the roof and causing rot. 

Tin roofs are sometimes striped with 
two or more colors or shades, but do not 
look very well except on lightly con- 
structed veranda or such like roof. 

FAR:\r AXD Gaeden I^iiplemein'ts. — 
Farm and garden implements being much 
exposed to the weather are preserved 
longer by being painted. Carts, wagons, 
ploughs, harrows, barrows, etc., may be 
coated w4th the brown or ochre, as men- 
tioned for roof -paint, and mixed with lin- 
seed-oil, about the same thickness as for 
tin roofs. 

Taste may be displayed in painting the 
bodies of wagons and carts a different 



44 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

color from the other parts, and "blacking 
the iron-workj etc. 

ZiJS'c Drier. — As I have recommended 
zinc paint for all outside painting, it is as 
well to state in regard to it that it requires 
a stronger drier. A patent liquid drier 
is manufactured and sold for zinc, which, 
if of good quality, is very well adapted 
for it. Although zinc needs more, or a 
stronger drier, it is not so liable to be 
washed or injured by rain as the paints 
mixed of w^hite-lead and other materials. 
But as it is difficult to get driers strong 
or good enough to dry properly paint 
mixed with unboiled linseed-oil, particu- 
larly in cold weather, it is as well to de- 
pend upon the old method of drying with 
litharge, which can easily be procured of 
good quality. 

Boiled Oil. — Boiled oil is used for the 
purpose of quick drying and a good gloss 
by most painters, and where those results 
alone are wanted it is undoubtedly the 
best. But, as durability, in my estima- 
tion, is far more important, pure raw lin- 



THE AKT OF HOUSE-PAINTIKG. 45 

seed-oil is mucli better. If the gloss is no 
quite so brilliant when the work is just 
finished, it keeps its freshness and color a 
much longer time. I consider that in boil- 
ing oil, just one half, if not more, of its real 
virtue as oil is destroyed ; I would rather let 
the sun and weather have their own time to 
boil it after it is on the work. I have had 
painting outside stand and look well twice 
as long as others, and no other cause can 
be assigned for it but the use of the un- 
boiled oil in my work ; and the risk of in- 
jury by rain or dust has certainly been no 
more. Boiled oil should be used only in 
the case mentioned above, or for inside 
work as hereafter directed, and machin- 
ery, sign, ornamental, and carriage paint- 
ing — ^in fact, for almost any kind but out- 
side finishing. 

Cheap Oils. — Of late years, there is a 
good deal of cheap oil made and offered 
for sale, and highly recommended for roof 
and iron work, as well as for rough work 
generally ; but as such oils contain more or 
less of resin and similar substances which 



46 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING, 

have a much greater tendency to crack, 
become brittle, or dry quickly into pow- 
der than boiled or raw linseed, I think 
it unsafe to employ them on any work. 
They may, however, answer very well for 
old or rough out-houses, fences, and such 
like work, where durability is not an es- 
sential requisite. 

Cheap Paten^t Compositiot^s. — There 
are also various recipes for composi- 
tions which cost a mere trifle and recom- 
mended as very good and durable for 
mauy kinds of work ; but as they are cer- 
tain to quickly impair or wash off by the 
action of the weather, I believe that they 
are of no real advantage or benefit to the 
painter or his employer. Besides, some- 
times it is almost impossible to paint over 
them with good paint, or, if possible, the 
cost is rendered nearly double. Any com- 
position or mixture designed to cheapen 
the article of paint never works, in the 
long run, to the pecuniary good of the 
painter. The extra time required to pre- 
pare and apply them, and the general un- 



THE ART OP IIOUSE-PAINTTXG. 47 

satisfactory appearance and rapid deterio- 
ration of the work, as also the extra quan- 
tity necessary, and damage to reputation, 
render it by no means a desirable or 
money-making business. Extreme com- 
petition in places where there are many 
painters sometimes compels them to use 
various means to under- work each other, 
consequently the quality of the work 
must suffer. Under such circumstances, 
it is well, it is important, for those requir- 
ing any kind of work to be done, to ap- 
preciate those who have the best reputa- 
tion, or indicate, in their dealings and in- 
tercourse generally, the most uprightness 
and the most independence of such com- 
petition, which alone has caused so much 
distrust and suspicion of this very useful 
profession. 

Sash-Pahstth^g. — The painting of win- 
dow and other sash, in house-painting, is 
one of the most difficult and important of 
outside work ; and on the neatness with 
which it is done depends, in a great 
measure, the beauty of the whole job. A 



48 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

smallTbrusli or " sash tool" is used for this 
purpose, and is seldom required for any 
other part of ordinary house-painting, 
and much skill, and a little regard to the 
system before mentioned, is required to 
make rapid headway in this part of the 
work, which is considered quite tedious ; 
but as the kind and style of sash are so 
various, the workman must exercise his 
ingenuity and judgment in regard to it, 
rather than depend upon any directions 
which may be given.. Where blinds are 
closed most of the time, one coat is suffi- 
cient, or if a second coat is necessary, 
generally the large parts only require it. 
The color for sash depends generally on 
the color of the house, though the dark 
colors, such as bronze green, or imitations 
of some dark wood, such as dark oak or 
black- walnut, may look well on a house of 
any color or style, and in case they are 
concealed mostly by the blinds, they can 
be white. 

Hot-Houses. — In painting hot-house or 
green- house sashes, when new, care must 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 49 

be taken that the wood is perfectly dry, as 
they are liable to be wet from heavy dews 
or from the condensation of the vapor ris- 
ing inside. Paint applied to wet wood 
outside is sure to peel or blister. Where 
it is convenient, always finish the inside 
of such sashes before the glass is set, for 
it takes four times as long to do it after ; 
and if the glaziers will be a little careful, 
they need not injure the paint in the least, 
even where they have to bed or back-putty 
the lights. 

The putty part of sashes should be paint- 
ed within one week after being exposed to 
the weather, as a skin forms upon it very 
soon, and the paint will not take so well, 
and is liable to peel off. Sashes exposed 
all the time to the weather require to be 
kept well painted — not with very thick 
paint however, as that has a tendency to 
crack and peel ; and they should be 
primed in the grooves made for the glass. 

Glazing. — Glazing belongs mostly in 
our day and country to the sash-maker, 
and perhaps it may be as well to omit any 



50 THE AET OF HOUSE-PAINTIXG. 

reference to it liere, except the repairing, 
which the painter generally has to do. 
And here let me give a little advice to 
those who may need to send to the glazier 
on a cold winter day, or in summer, 
when he may be hurried with work, to 
set a light or lights of glass ; and that is, 
to measure with a rule the exact width 
and length of each light, "being particular 
to measure so as to include the space 
where the putty lays, or the measure may 
be taken on the inside from the narrow 
edge of the bars, which is the same on 
most sash as the space outside filled with 
the glass ; write the measure down plainly 
so that there may be no mistake, and you 
will save the glazier much unnecessary 
trouble and risk of breakage ; for, if he 
sends a boy to do it, the chances are that 
the work will not be well done, that more 
lights will be broken than new ones set, 
as no place to cut them can be found as 
good as the shop-board ; or the diamond 
may be spoiled by an unskilful hand, or 
the lights taken may all be too small or 



THE ART OF IIOUSE-PAIXTIXG. 51 

too large. So, under these disadvantages, 
and others, such as distance and weather, 
a man, or the boss himself, would be like- 
ly to make equally as bad a job, and suf- 
fer much loss through not getting suffi- 
ciently remunerated, or not having the 
heart to charge as much as the job is 
really worth. All this difficulty is avoided 
by sending the exact measure and number 
of lights ; besides the glazier will be more 
ready, more prompt, and more reasonable 
in the charge. 

Tlie old putty must be removed with a 
sharp chisel or a stout knife, very care- 
fully, not cutting away or splitting the 
sash. After cleaning out every particle of 
the old glass and putty, the new light 
should be set in with the bow or rounded 
side out, and tinned in with at least four 
points or more, according to the size of the 
light ; the putty then may be put on, tak- 
ing care that its edge on the glass is even 
with the wood inside and straight and 
clean ; then clean off with a duster and 
whiting, or, if that is not handy, a soft 



52 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

cloth will do if used carefully so as not to 
disturb the putty. Nothing looks worse 
or is a greater eyesore than a Ibotched job 
of glazing ; therefore, I have been thus 
particular over what many may think a 
matter of trifling importance. 

Blisters. — Bad blisters in the paint on 
front doors, vestibules, and such like places 
where the sun concentrates its rays the 
most, are caused by little spots of pitch in 
various parts of the wood-work being acted 
upon by the heat, forming a gas, which 
raises the paint. There are several reme- 
dies for this : one is, to see that, in making 
the door or other part so exposed to the sun, 
the wood contains no particle of the pitch. 
Sometimes tliese spots of pitch are very flne 
and diffused throughout a whole plank, so 
that ordinary scrutiny fails to detect them, 
yet they j)roduce bad blisters when exposed 
to heat. Some plank contain no such 
spots or pitchy grain, and such only should 
be used for the work before mentioned. 
Such portions of work generally get more 
frequently painted ; and the thicker the 



THE ART OF HOTJSE-PAINTING. 53 

paint, the more it will blister. If an old 
door, rubbing down to the wood will not 
remedy the evil, for the canse is still 
there. In that case, or when it is found 
that there is pitch in the wood, the other 
remedy is to keep it painted white or 
light as possible, and the coats as thin as 
can be put on. Doors, etc., on the south 
side of a street, or in situations where 
there is but little sun, may be made 
of any quality of wood, or painted any 
color, or as thick as it may be put on, and 
no blistering will occur. Coats of paint or 
varnish may be, however, too thick in 
either case. There is scarcely any varnish 
made that will stand on a front door, par- 
ticularly if put on thick. It is better, in 
both instances, where such work requires 
repainting or varnishing, to do it often and 
very thinly. 

RuBBixa Dowis". — Eubbingdown, being 
referred to above, is often required where 
paint or varnish becomes cracked or burn- 
ed by exposure ; it is done by a lump of 
pumice-stone with water and a sponge ; 



54 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

the stone must be kept flat, even, and as 
free from paint as can be by rubbing it 
often on a flag or file. After tlie pumice- 
stone, then use sand-paper. Where the 
work is very much cradled and rough, 
paint may be used instead of the water, by 
first heavily coating the work, and then 
rub with the stone until it is sufficiently 
level, then lay off the paint as for finishing, 
and sand-paper it when thoroughly dry. 
Small pieces of pumice-stone should be 
used for the moulding and corners 

Old Paint. — Old paint may be removed 
by a solution of potash in water, by ap- 
plying it with a sponge or brush, until the 
paint is softened, then peel it oft* with the 
putty -knife or chisel. 

Smoky Paint. — Previous to painting 
over smoky or greasy surfaces, a weaker 
solution of potash should be applied to 
every part, and left upon it for twelve 
hours, and then cleaned off*. 

Preparing. — The work must be clean, 
dry, and well dusted, and the room swept ; 
then putty all nail-holes, joints, checks, or 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 55 

other places wliicli require it, taking care 
to leave notliing in tliis particular undone, 
for the painter should not leave his brush 
after he has once taken it up to prime, 
to putty the work over, or do that which 
has been omitted. Then the knots and 
pitchy- places must be covered with the 
shellac-varnish ; and when that is dry, 
then the priming may be applied. 

SiiELLACiis^G. — All good iusido work 
should have, previous to priming, a coat 
of shellac-varnish, the same as for killing 
the knots, except that it should be reduced 
with alcohol one half, and applied over 
the whole work with a flat or other conve- 
nient brush. This prevents the pitch and 
sap in the wood from showing through the 
paint when finished. Without this shel- 
lacing, the white work looks very bad, even 
after being repainted several times ; and 
where zinc-white is used, it will bring out 
the pitch much worse then lead. Work in- 
tended to be grained does not require it, 
but it is best to apply it, as it makes the 
work better. 



66 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

PRiMiiS'a. — White-lead mixed with on 
half boiled oil and one half turpentine, 
should constitute the first coat of paint 
on inside work. Driers may be used in 
cold weather, but in warm the oil itself 
may be sufiicient. It is essential to get on 
as thick a coat as possible, therefore lead 
is preferable to zinc, as it has more body 
and covers the grain of the wood or the 
shellac better. It should be thin enough to 
work easily under the brush, though not 
without somewhat more rubbing or bear- 
ing on than for outside. If it is not rub- 
bed out well in applying, it is apt to drip, 
and collect in the corners and mouldings. 
The paint should be well strained before 
using. 

Wet Wood. — Dampness from wet walls 
or other cause must be removed from the 
wood before priming. In new houses, the 
work is frequently covered with wet from 
the condensation of moisture from new 
walls upon it, and should not be painted 
in that state, but means taken to dry it 
first. If to dry it by fires in the rooms 



THE ART OF HOUSK-PAINTING. 57 

might be too expensive, the windows may 
be opened throughout the building during 
the warmest part of each day when the 
sun is out, which would effect the object, 
though perhaps not so quickly. Rooms 
finished in a hurry, regardless of these 
necessary rules, on account of their being 
immediately wanted, are very dangerous 
places to live in as regards health, and the 
paint is generally blamed for much mis- 
chief done in that respect, of which it is 
entirely innocent ; besides, the work is, if 
not spoiled, stained and discolored so as to 
necessitate a repainting very soon, and the 
painter is consequently very often blamed 
for bad work by those who could not have 
known the cause of the trouble. 

PKiMiiN^a FOR Geainii^g. — If the work 
is designed to be grained in imitation of 
dark wood, including some shades of oak, 
the priming should be stained a little so as 
to be about the same tint as the wood in- 
tended, because if primed white, it will be 
apt to show in joints which may in time 



58 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

occur, or in any accidental dents or 
scratches. 

CLEAis^iis'a. — The plaster and dast 
should be cleaned off from new wood- 
work, preparatory to priming, without 
using water — or as little as possible ; for 
the wet will raise the grain and make the 
work very rough. It can be cleaned in 
the same time and with no more labor by 
old sand-paper or a block of wood, and 
a dry scrubbing-brush, dusting off after- 
ward with the duster. 

White-Lead Putty. — Some putty is 
apt to show through two coats of white, 
therefore it is very useful to mix a- little 
white-lead with it ; about one third in 
bulk of lead will answer to make it con- 
siderably whiter, and it will be covered 
better with the paint. 

Suitable Brush. — A brush of the larg- 
est 6 O size, about half worn, is the 
best for inside priming ; a new one, 
or one too much worn, would make rough 
work, unless more time and care is 
used. In working rapidly, the brush is 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 59 

sometimes apt to spatter the paint on the 
floor ; in such cases, it is well to have a 
cloth or a large sheet of stout paper to 
spread down to work on. 

Drop-Cloths. — Drop-cloths are very 
useful, and should be in readiness in 
many kinds of work to guard against 
danger of spattering. The best of work- 
men require them when painting in rooms 
with the carpet or oil-cloth down, and 
they can work much faster with them ; it 
is therefore no indication of a careless 
workman, but rather the contrary. 

System. — The importance of system in 
painting, spoken of elsewhere, must not 
be lost sight of in priming inside, for 
upon it depends a saving of much time. 

Old Wood-Wokk. — Where old work 
inside requires more than one coat to fin- 
ish, the priming should be mixed with 
less oil than for new work. One quarter 
to three quarters of turpentine is sufii- 
cient, sometimes even less. In casa the 
work is in good condition as regards pre- 



60 THE AKT OF HOUSE-FAINTING. 

vious painting, the first coat may be 
mixed the same as for finishing. 

White Shellac. — Old wood- work re- 
quiring to be repainted is sometimes very 
badly discolored from pitch and sappy 
spots in it. To prevent these from showing 
again, the spots must be covered over with 
a coat of bleached shellac-varnish, made by 
dissolving white shellac in alcohol the 
same as that for killing knots and shellac- 
ing new wood -work. The alcohol for this 
purpose requires to be of the best quality, 
and the varnish to be kept well corked 
in cans or bottles. Both the white and 
brown shellac-varnishes can be bought 
ready to use, and are about as cheap as 
for the painter to make them, as some 
difficulty and danger attends the prepara- 
tion. White shellac may ere long be 
cheap enough to allow of its being used 
for new work as well as all other ; in 
fact, it may be best to use it at any rate, 
for it does not stain the work so darkly as 
the brown, and is covered easier. To make 
shellac-varnish, dissolve one pound of 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 61 

gum-sliellac in one gallon of good alcohol ; 
if the alcohol cannot be procured of the 
best quality and purity, the application 
of heat will be necessary, by putting the 
can containing the gum and alcohol in a 
kettle of boiling water, and stirring it 
frequently, and being careful to leave a 
vent to prevent an explosion. 

PKEPAEiisra. — The priming must be 
thoroughly dry, and then sand-papered 
down, in case there are any rough places, 
or dust dried in the priming. If any 
stains from pitch should appear, apply 
the white shellac previous to finishing, 
and be careful to dust off the work well ; 
and also it is necessary to have the rooms 
swept out, that the work may not get 
dusted while wet, by letting the dirt be 
swept by currents of air upon it when a 
door or window may be opened. The 
work should be examined to see if any 
puttying is omitted, and this must be 
seen to before commencing to paint. 

Flattiis'g. — Finishing-coats for ordina- 
ry work are mixed with turpentine alone, 



62 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

without any oil except tliat in wliich the 
lead or zinc is ground, and must be ap- 
plied very carefully, skilfully, and at the 
same time very quickly with a good 
brush ; each portion of the work must be 
finished before leaving it for a moment, 
and the joinings around panels at the ends 
of cross- stiles and such like places, or on 
large spaces, must be kept wet until the 
whole is done ; then it has a very beauti- 
ful, uniform dead look when dry, and is 
called by painters ' ' flatting. ' ' In flatting 
walls or ceilings, two or more workmen 
are necessary to work together to keep 
the joinings always wet until finished, 
and they should have their scaffolding or 
steps arranged so that the least possible 
delay occurs in moving them, otherwise 
the paint will set at the joinings and spoil 
r.he flatting, and it is impossible to reme- 
dy such defects but by rubbing down 
and doing the work over again. Flatting 
heavy work or large spaces must be done 
in closed rooms ; no current of air should 
be allowed to draw through and over the 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 63 

work until finished, as it will set the paint 
too fast to work safely. Brushes for this 
kind of work must be of the finest and 
best kind, little and evenly worn. Un- 
even walls and badly planed wood-work, 
when painted in oil-color or glossed, show 
plainly every ridge and defect, which does 
not appear in flatting ; thus the term 
^'flatting.'' It is very seldom that walls 
are made perfect enough to finish with a 
gloss or varnish ; or wood-work dressed 
with sufficient care, particularly on con- 
tract work, to finish with porcelain or en- 
amelled surface, or to look well when high- 
ly varnished ; therefore it is preferable in 
most cases to flat the work where neatness 
or perfection is desired in the painting. 
Flatting when dry is very hard, but soap, 
in scrubbing and cleaning, will dissolve 
or cut it, and therefore does not do very 
well for kitchens or parts where much 
cleaning is required ; but for parlors, bed- 
rooms, halls, and such like places, it is 
lasting and durable, and when requiring 
to be cleaned, generally clear water is suf- 



64 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

ficient. Boiled oil, more or less, accord- 
ing to the place, added to flat color, ren- 
ders it harder, and suitable for kitchens 
and other like places. Where a third 
coat for finish is intended, the second 
coat should be flatting color, with the ad- 
dition of a little raw linseed-oil, about a 
gill to ten pounds ; this gives more time to 
work the paint, the oil preventing it from 
setting quick, and also allowing the room 
to be open in case of hot weather, and 
thus making it more comfortable for the 
workmen ; otherwise, both coats may be of 
the flatting color. The consistency of flat 
color depends somewhat upon circam- 
stances. It should be thin enough to 
work easy, not apt to run down the 
joints and carvings, and thick enough 
to cover the woody color of primed work, 
which will easily be accomplished if the 
priming has been sufliciently good and 
stout. A material object in flatting is the 
tendency of the paint to retain its original 
and intended purity of tint ; flat white 
will remain white, but finishing-coats. 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 65 

with even a small proportion of oil, in 
rooms closed or partially closed most of 
the time, will turn yellow, and other colors, 
which will turn darker. 

System is particularly requisite in flat- 
ting, as without it such work as win- 
dows, doors, and inside shutters and 
blinds cannot be well done ; and it is in 
this kind of finishing that the workman 
soon finds the necessity of observing it 
very strictly. Different workmen may have 
different systems for particular portions of 
work, but as long as it is a definite one, it 
does not much matter. 

Eggshell Gloss. — Rooms that are 
kept very light most of the time may be fin- 
ished with what is termed ' ' egg-shell gloss' ' 
— that is, by adding oil to flat color in small 
proportions sufficient to prevent its dry- 
ing positively dead or flat, but having an 
oily surface when dry, yet not positively 
glossy. In light rooms, this kind of finish 
will retain its original tint and endure 
much longer, and bear more cleaning than 
flatting. It is about the same as color 



06 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

/mixed as directed where a third coat is 
intended. 

Tinting. — Painting rooms in parti-col- 
ors or tinting the panels one sliade and the 
stiles another, and sometimes the mould- 
ings a third, is a very beautiful finish, and 
in some cities has been a prevailing fashion. 

In most cases, the two last coats should 
be tinted, but sometimes the last one is 
sufficient, particularly if the shades to be 
obtained are not very dark. The color 
must be divided into as many parts as 
.shades are wanted, and in proportions 
equal to the amount of work to be done 
with each, then adding fine ground colors, 
such as vermilion, blue, yellow, umber, 
India red, lakes, ochre, and such like ma- 
terials, of the best qualities, in kind and 
proportion to produce the desired tint. 
They may be applied all at the same time 
and the work finislied, or, as will be the best 
way, the principal shades may be used 
first, such as on panels and stiles, and 
when dry or set, then the other tints may 
be put on. Much depends, for the beauty 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 67 

of tliis kind of work, upon the care and 
neatness with which it is done ; no spot of 
one tint must be allowed to appear upon 
another, but all should be perfectly clean 
and regular. In disposing the colors, the 
lightest should be used on panels, the 
darker shades on stiles. In tinting mould- 
ings or beads, a small brush should be 
used ; sometimes a fine camel' s-hair or sable 
pencil is best, in case the mouldings to be 
covered are small. Tints in chambers are 
sometimes made to match the shades of 
ornamental or enamelled furniture con- 
tained therein ; or to match two or three 
shades on the paper with which the walls 
may be covered. Parlors and other apart- 
ments are frequently tinted to match the 
paper. The principal paint is mixed the 
same as for flatting or finishing. 

Gloss or Examel. — Where the wood- 
work is well finished and dressed smooth 
and level, gloss or enamel makes a very 
fine and beautiful, as well as durable fin- 
ish. It is done by first having a good 
ground of white-lead paint, flatted and 



C8 THE ART OF IIOUSE-PAINTING, 

finely rubbed down with line sand-paper, 
put on the work ; then put into the paint 
some good demar or wliite copal-varnish, 
sulticient to leave the egg-shell gloss when 
dry ; being very careful that it is applied 
smoothly and laid off finely, leaving no 
runs or strong brush-marks ; then apply 
the varnish alone with just enough paint 
to color it. This last coat must be flowea 
on the work, not rubbed out or brushed 
like the previous coats, but left on thicker 
or in greater body, evenly brushed out so 
as not to be thicker in one place than in 
another, or full in the mouldings so as to 
run out over the stile or panel. Quick- 
ness and carefulness are very requisite in 
the finish. Zinc-white of the best quality 
should be used for the two last coats, 
broken up thick with turpentine and 
strained very fine. Enamel-finish, to re- 
tain its pure white, should be made with 
zinc ground in varnish for the purpose, the 
first coat thinned with turpentine, the last 
with good demar or copal-varnish. If the 
varnish is old and thick, a little turpentine 



THE ART OF HOUSE-PAIXTI^G. 69 

must be used to tliin it. Zinc ground in 
varnish as above can be procured in sealed 
cans at the stores where the best materials 
are sold. It should be remembered that 
stains from pitch in the wood must first 
be covered with the shellac previous to 
finisliing for gloss or enamel. 

GrROUlS^D COLOKS FOR GrAINIISTG. — Most 

kinds of imitations of woods are done with 
oil-colors ; the old-fashioned water or beer 
colors are done away with, except in some 
woods not much imitated in the present 
day, such as rose, maple, and mahogany — 
these latter require a ground nearly flat ; 
but for oak and black- walnut, the ground 
should be a good gloss, and for new wood- 
work three coats are necessary to make 
good graining, and the paint must be well 
strained and carefully put on as if for the 
best finish. The color for oak is to be 
tinted with good ground ochre and red ; if 
for dark oak, to about the shade of sal- 
mon color ; if for light, just a mere staining 
or tinting from white ; or even white itself 
will do for very light oak. For black- 



70 THE ART OF HOUSE-PAINTING. 

walnut, the ground is to be composed of 
white ochre and umber, to get the shade 
of the lightest parts of dry black- walnut 
wood. For mahogany, get a dark orange 
color with ochre, white and red. For rose- 
wood, pure vermilion is the best, though a 
good brilliant red may serve tlie purpose. 
For maple or satin-wood, pure white with 
a trifle of chrome-yellow ; some grain it on 
pure white. The shades of graining of the 
various kinds can be varied by the grain- 
ing and shadino', and other artistic effects 
must be produced by tlie skill and taste 
of the workman. And now having guid'.^d 
the painter tlius far, I take my leave of 
him, hoping that he may continue to ad- 
vance to the highest degree of perfection 
in his art. J. S. 



